Hou Yifan concentrates during the competition. [Photo/WeChat account: xinghuafabu]
After nine rounds of competition, the Chinese women's chess team won the championship in the 19th Asian Games – held in Hangzhou city, capital of East China's Zhejiang province.
Chinese chess prodigy Hou Yifan, from Xinghua city in nearby Jiangsu province in East China, won the ninth round convincingly in just 21 rounds – these matches usually last around 40 rounds – during the competition with the United Arab Emirates team on Oct 7.
"The girls at the 19th Asian Games performed very well, especially Hou Yifan, who scored eight points in nine rounds, demonstrating her absolute strength," said Ni Hua, the coach of the Chinese chess team.
Born in 1994, Hou is a Chinese chess grandmaster and a four-time Women's World Chess Champion.
Her first women's world title came at 16 years of age – three years after becoming the youngest female grandmaster in history.